Improvement in grain separators and scourers



W. P. CLIFFB D.

vGrainSeparatore and Scourers.

Patented September 30, R873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM P. CLIFFORD, OF WEST JERSEY, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO LEWIS AND JEREMIAH GAItRISON, OF ELMORE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT |N GRAIN sEPARAToRs AND scouRERs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No,v 143,331, dated September 30, 1873 5 application filed" March 22, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. CLIFFORD, of West Jersey, in the county of Stark, in the State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Grain-Separators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings making a part of this speciiication, in which the letters of reference refer to like parts, and in which- Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation, the side covering of the spouts and grading-chambers being removed. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is an end view from the hopper side of the machine. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of cylinder-chamber and view of part of the surface of the cylinder. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross` section of cylinder-chamber and end view of rotating cylinder.

This invention combines a rotary cleaningcylinder, fan, and fan-drafts with spouts and grading-chambers for grading grain by weight; and' consists of a fan-box and fan having inclined vanes or fans, the shaft of which gears with the shaft of the scouring-cylinder (by means of the usual wheels.) Y The latter carries on its surface ribs7 spirally arranged, and is inclosed in a cylinder or jacket, whose inner surface is covered with teeth. This cylinder receives the grain from a spout, the grain passing through an upward draft of air, which carries olil the dust, &c., and, being scoured and again passed into said draft, is blown to the top oi' the grading-box-a long longitudinal chamber on the top of the machine having several divisions, that one nearest to the vertical upward blast receiving the heaviest grain, the next a slightly lighter grade `of grain, and so continuously for several different grades or qualities of thev same, the heaviest and best grain settling or being left by the blast rst.

I construct my machine as follows: A A represent the sills on which the square frame B B, O O, and D D are erected. G is a vertical fan-draft, originatingbelow the discharge-spout l2 of the scourer N, and, passing upward, opens into one end of a horizontal chamber, H, which has several minor pockets, 1 2 3, (or more,) with flaps r, Sac., for spouting away the received grain. These are the grading-chambers. The last one opens into the top of a downward-blast passage, I, which enters the fan-box B y. .In this spout 0r passage I is a valve, s, for regulating the force of the blast in grading. In the. entrance blast-passage or fan-draft G is also another air-regulatin g valve, a, above the grain-spout 12. Near the top of the passage G is the grain-hopper t' and spout h. Below this spout are two valves, f f, and valve or draft openings e e, which are opened and closed by means of the horizontal rods or handles d b, which open the valves outward (in the positions indicated by the dotted lines.) Between these openings e e, and lling the passage Gr, is a screen or sieve, 4, which terminates at the entrance of the grain-spout g which directs grain to the scourer N. R is the fan, and y the box (the tail is seen at z.) It is of the ordinary construction, save the inclination of the fans fw w, &c., which are inclined from a perpendicular, and their upper ends lean forward in the direction of their rotation. The box y is seated upon the platform 5 between the vertical posts B B, and receives the leg of the vertical blast or suction passage I; L, a vertical shaft carrying the fan R and drivingpulley, also, pinion V gearing with pinion u of the scourer N M, the horizontal shaft, on which the scouring-cylinder N N is attached. At one end a pinion, u, gears with the fanshaft, and near the scourer N a cam, q, or

means to oscillate the rod n of the shaker I is placed on the shaft next to the scourer N. N, the scouring-cylinder, in which revolves the rotary scourer T. The inner surface of N is covered with iron teeth, similar to those of shelling-machines. (SeeN,Fig.4.) This cylinder or shell is made insections 6 'Z 8 9 running lengthwise of the same, each piece being attached at either end to a head or disk, 10 10,-with adjusting screws or bolts, or an equivalent adjustment of the sections 6 7 8 9 nearer to or further from the rotary cylinder T to regulate the slower or quicker passage of the grain between the cylinders N T. T, the rotary scouring-cylin-` der, which, when the spiral or curved ribs c are considered, nearly lls the outer cylinder N. It is set upon or carried by the shaft M,

centered on each of the heads l0 l0, which is attached to the vboards or supports 1l l1, which, in turn, are attached to the posts B B, behind the spout or air-passage G. It is provided with several ribs, c, arranged around the surface diagonally, and may run from end to end. y

Thereare siX ribs represented, each rib turn- 'N be `constructed and arranged. -P `represents;`

-a hopper or shaking-trough, supported in 'an i inclined positionat Vthe side of lthe box 111,5 upon elastic supports m m, rising from the; frame A B, and is oscillatedby 'the uprightn', which is rpivoted at the middle to a-convenien'ty point, (as the side 4of the `box H,) and below; v-held by an arm, o, and a spring, p, againstthei face of the cam q'on the shaft M. The outer l end of this trough IP has aspout, lIc, which conducts into the hopper lof the upper'part of, the blast-passager-G. vA perforated board or; screen, Z, prevents the .passage of straws or other rubbish, which is'thus `shaken off atthef open lower e'ndof the trough. l The operation of this machineis `as followsz'.

-Itseparates theJ light grain,chess, w'eed-seedHy smut, V85o., from Wheat, oats, Sto., by vmeans? of a fan-draft, which enters the lower end of vpassage G ande e in the same passage, andthence along the top of box H, and down 'the lpassage I into the fan-R. The grain, enteiringI themachine by the shaker P, spout 7c, hopper c', and passage h, strikes the blastat 'h inthe passage G, Wherethe first separation' occurs, theoats, light wheat, vchess, smut-balls,&c., being carried away upward. The wheat-falls upon the screen 4, which conducts it into the scourer N T, whence it emerges again into the` blast-passage G, through thev spout`12, where the grain undergoes another separation, falling thence into the stock-hopper ready for grinding. cai-:i make any separation which he desires, light wheat and heavy oats falling into chamber 1, light oats, screenings, and chess into chamber 2, light screenings, chess, Weed-seed, &c., -into chamber 3. vThe vvalves 1' r r at the bottom of these chambers-open asrthe latter fill up, and offal is conducted away and dust, chaff, straws, light smut-balls, and scourings pass oft' through the fan. The fan has vanes of one inch or more divergence from verticity at the top, or leaning in the direction of their revolution, which confers a greater suction-'power 1n the fan as a unit. The valves ff in the passage G regulate the blast in the latter, t0- gether with the valves a and s, the opening of the valves ff causing lthe "blast supplied by fan R to pass through the orifices@ a--as, for instance, incertain-'stages of the'operation, it

might not be desirable to vpermit thefull force 4of the blast to beeXpended upon thef'screen 4 after the liirst cleaning. Thus, @to avoid this, the blast, or aportion of itat-least,is'diverted "around the screen :through lthe orifices.

What lI claimI as my--invention'=is' l. The combination of blast-:passage G,

grain-entry-h, valves a f f, chamber H,"'subdi Dvided chambers l -2 3, valves www, blastepassage I, yfan B," and box y y,fall"constructedl and varranged 1to operate 4in the -inanner I and forv the fpurpo'se as -hereinshown-andset'forth.

2. The-combinationoffblast-passage-G,^valve a, air-passages e c, Valves ff, screen '24, grainvducts g 12,'and sc'ourerll,v all `'substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The 'combination and arrangement-ofthe frame A A, B B,--O'C, and D fD,'fan'\R,fboX,y 1y, shaft L, Ipinions v-u, vshaft M, camtq,scourer vN T, shaker-rodea, arm o, spiralspring'p, shaking-trough P, spout 7c, hopper i, and "supports y'm m, all substantially inthe manner and `-for -the piufposes as set forth.

'WILLIAM 1). CLIFFORD.

Witnesses JAMEs M, Monsn, HENRY W. W ELLs.

By operating the'valves aff the miller. 

